Sterling Simmentals

Details

The establishment of the pedigree herd followed the use of Heywood Esquire in the farm’s own commercial herd a year earlier and it was the quality of his crossbred calves that led to the foundation of a pedigree herd.

Three years later the decision was taken to concentrate solely on pedigree breeding; the commercial cattle were phased out and the entire Lindridge Simmental herd was purchased to provide enough females to ensure rapid genetic progress through hard selection of the best progeny.

In the intervening years the herd has been managed on the basis of developing strong maternal lines with the intention of producing long lasting cows and bulls suited to both pedigree and commercial buyers.

A consistent history of top show and sale success has ensured that the Sterling herd name is synonymous with consistent quality, exceptional breed character and type.

Notable show successes over the years include a trio of Burke Trophy wins, with the herd being the only Simmental herd to have won the Burke with two homebred animals, as well as breed and interbreed champions at the Royal Show, Royal Welsh and Royal Highland. Recent years have seen the herd pick up a number of titles at the Simmental National shows too, including reserve breed champion at the English National in 2013, breed champion in 2012 at the English and Scottish National shows and champion at the English National Show in 2010.

Today the herd is overseen by estate manager, Joe Edwards, and managed on a day to day basis by stockman Jimmy McMillan whose attention to detail ensures the herd continues to thrive and excel.

By combining the best available genetics, with excellent stockmanship and critical selection criteria, the Sterling herd aims to produce a modern, high performance Simmental suited to profitable UK beef production.

Information

Cow Families

A number of cow families have formed the backbone of the Sterling herd of Simmentals for a number of years and continue to exert their influence through their daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters.

Overbury Fifi

Purchased as a foundation cow for the Sterling herd, Fifi was fully German bred, being a daughter of Mayer out of Solta.

A cow with exceptional style and correctness, Fifi bred a strong female line, including Sterling Fifi’s Milady and Sterling Fifi’s Nanette. A successful show animal Milady won a number of breed championships and was later sold at the Heywood and Sterling sale for 7000gns.

This wasn’t before she had left her influence on the Sterling herd though and her daughter Sterling Milady’s Affection is great- great-grandam of the noted bull Sterling Viking II, breed and interbreed champion at the Royal Show in 2009 and a member of the Burke trophy winning pair at the some show.

Viking’s dam, Sterling Helen’s Lyric is also dam of Sterling Caithness, male champion at the Royal Highland in 2012 and male champion and junior interbreed champion at Devon County Show in the same year.

Sterling Primrose's Aubretia

This exceptional cow is by Herkules, an Austrian bred sire purchased in 1989 and is out of Sterling Gretal’s Primrose, an Eridge King Sterling daughter and is the foundation of a number of famous female lines at Sterling.

With an unrivalled influence on the herd, she is the granddam of Sterling Michelle’s Rhapsody, a noted show cow which was interbreed champion at Royal Cornwall in 2010 and reserve interbreed at Newbury Show in the same year. Michelle’s Rhapsody is also dam of Sterling Rhapsody’s Vivian, breed champion at Devon County and the Royal Bath and West shows in 2010 and reserve breed champion at Royal Cornwall in the same year.

This Sterling Flint daughter has amassed an impressive show record, having been breed champion no fewer than five times in 2012 as well as interbreed champion at Devon County Show and reserve interbreed champion at the Scottish National Simmental show. In 2011, she had an exciting season too, collecting three junior championships, including at the Royal Highland and Great Yorkshire show, as well as being junior female champion on four occasions. Other noted descendants from this line include Sterling Krumpet’s Roxanne, a Sterling Flint daughter which was breed champion at the Royal Welsh in 2009 and part of the Burke Trophy winning pair at the Royal Show in the same year. She was also breed champion at the Royal Norfolk and reserve breed champion at Devon County. Roxanne was also dam of 5000gns heifer and Perth female champion Sterling Roxanne’s Verona who was sold in February 2009.

Barberella is also granddam of Sterling Mars 2, a Sterling Flint son out of Sterling Barberella’s Fiona which sold to Gerald Smith’s Drumsleed herd and has been used successfully there over a number of seasons. This line is noted for leaving cows with exceptional longevity and natural fleshing, together with correctness and tremendous breed character.

Sterling Rebecca's Adel

This Herkules daughter is out of Sterling Nadine’s Rebecca, herself a Heywood Ensign daughter and is dam of a number of important females, including Sterling Adel’s Naomi and Sterling Adel’s Dolores. Naomi is a Dirnanean Jacob and is dam of a number of good females, includingSterling Naomi’s Venus, a Sterling Legend daughter which was sold to David Jones for £11,000 having been unbeaten at 14 shows in 2009.

She is also dam of Sterling Naomi’s Cher, a third prize winner at the English National Show in 2012. Naomi is also the dam of Sterling Naomi’s Courtney and Sterling Naomi’s Coleen, both of which teamed up with Cher to win the dam progeny group at the English National Show in 2012. Meanwhile, Sterling Adel’s Delores is dam of Sterling Dolores’ Petra, a Sterling Flint daughter which was breed champion at the English National Show at Harrogate in 2010, as well as being breed champion at the Royal Welsh in the same year and champion heifer at the Royal and Royal Welsh shows in 2005.

Other noted females from this line include Sterling Dolores Anna and Sterling Dolores Celia. Anna is a daughter of Rosten Son-O Barney, with Celia being by Sterling Rochester.

Sterling Joyful 2

This modern, clean lined daughter of Kair Galaxy is out of a Herkules daughter and is the founding female behind a number of leading lines present in the modern-day Sterling herd, including Sterling Joyfulls Ritzy. Sired by Dovefield Gallant, Ritzy is dam of Sterling Vesta, a Sterling Flint daughter which was sold to Andrew and Hayley Clark for the Williams herd. More recently she has bred Sterling Ritzy’s Anastasia, a Corrick Kentucky Kid daughter which was highly successful on the show circuit in 2010, picking up a fistful of red tickets, including at Devon County, Bath and West, Royal Cornwall, Three Counties, The Royal Highland, Royal Norfolk, Moreton-in-Marsh and Edenbridge and Oxted shows.

She was also reserve female champion at the Three Counties and stood second at the National Show at the Great Yorkshire Show and also at the Royal Welsh. She was later sold at Stirling for 3600gns having stood reserve female champion.

Ritzy is also dam to the herd’s junior stock sire Sterling Cotswold, a full brother to Anastasia, which picked up a number of show wins in 2012, including first prize at the Royal Highland, first at Three Counties, first at the Royal Welsh and male champion at Newbury.

Adding to his show record in 2013 Cotswold was breed champion at Devon, male champion at Bath and West, male champion at the Royal Cornwall and reserve male champion at the English National Show at Cheshire. He was then male champion and reserve breed champion at the Great Yorkshire and was male and breed champion at Moreton in Marsh Show.

Champagne’s Grace, a Heywood Talent daughter is dam of Sterling Grace’s Wilhemina, a Darsham Playboy daughter which enjoyed an outstanding show career and was female champion at Stirling in February 2010 and was later sold privately to Andrew and Hayley Clarke for the Williams herd for an undisclosed five figure price. She was also junior interbreed champion at the Great Yorkshire Show later in the same year.

Other noted females in this family include Sterling Grace’s Saffron who is breeding well in the herd. Saffron is a Corskie Principal daughter.

Killane Fauna 6

Sired by the noted sire Heywood Esquire, Fauna 6 is out of a Killane Fauna 3, a daughter of imported sire Etendard.